Drills to keep bar from crashing during cleans

[Bryan Boorstein]

Hey all,

Thanks for all the advice on the 1 RM Hang Snatch. The event went ok... I nailed 215 twice in the warmup area, and felt really good going into the 4 min to find max weight. I opened at 205, hit it easily. Loaded up 215, and somehow barely missed it twice. By the time I hit 215, I had 15 sec left, and had no chance at hitting 225. Oh well, at least I met my goal, though woulda been nice to exceed.

Anyways, what I learned from drilling the hang position this last week, is that it is extremely beneficial to enhancing the positioning of my 2nd pull. So, yesterday I did some hang cleans. I did triples up through 245, and then singles at 255, 265, 275 and 285. I realized that as the weight increases, I tend to finish my pull and then just drop to the bottom and the bar crashes on me, making the front squat out of the hole substantially more difficult. This isn't a problem with the lighter loads, but at 275 and higher it is an issue.

What should I do to eliminate this bad habit? Is there anything I can do to make this a consistent practice as weights increase? video of 275 is below. Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnxDyFp0a2M&feature=related

[Admin Istrator]

http://www.cathletics.com/articles/article.php?articleID=122

[Bryan Boorstein]

ahh, yes, I've read that before. Definitely gonna re-read. Good call.

[Greg Everett]

It's really not crashing on you that much actually. I think it just feels rough and hard to stand up because you're not getting into a good squat position.

the bar does move away from you considerably because you pull from the hang by simply leaning back and throwing your head, so you just push it forward with your thighs. Push against the floor and explode the hips without throwing your head and leaning quite so far back, and you'll be able to stay better balanced, change directions faster, and keep the bar from bumping forward.

That being the case, you actually do a good job of bringing it back into your shoulders and the arm movement is pretty sound.

[Spencer Mackay]

What stood out to me was similar to what Greg said. From the hang position your upper body extends upwards and the bar is kicked off your quads. Momentum is doing some of the work in pulling the bar upwards.

Mix in some of the high pulls that the Chinese lifters seem to do a lot, although these pictures are snatching movements. Keep solid contact with the bar and with the elbows high and outside, pull the torso down against the weight of the upward moving bar. This will keep you working more upright and improve your speed back under.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6035/6323484331_6149fc8245_z.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6109/6331534826_33117926a8_z.jpg

Lu Xiaojun moving up and down in the training hall (2:17ish);

http://youtu.be/PudukdHMkOc

[Bryan Boorstein]

Thanks Greg and Spencer. I appreciate the feedback. I will work on those issues. Coach Dave Miller, in San Diego, has been coming by and working with my team on Wednesdays, and he noted the same things that Greg pointed out. He talked about my head going back in both snatches and cleans, and how that forces the bar off my hips and around too much, making the catch more difficult than it should be. I'm going to try and pick a spot on the wall and keep my eyes focused on it throughout the movement.

Thanks again, and I'll try and work these issues and post a new video in the next month or two.

Bryan